886th CES -- ‘ready to roll’ Published March 11, 2010 By Maj. Jay Welborn 886th Civil Engineer Squadron commander RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- In the KMC, there is an organization that is constantly on the lookout for you. This group responds to emergencies, educates about safety, prevents fires and attacks, and works with local agencies to ensure your safety both on and off base. They are the men and women of the 886th Civil Engineer Squadron. The 886th CES is one of only two emergency services squadrons in the Air Force comprised of fire protection, explosive ordnance disposal and the readiness and emergency management flights. The fire department, the largest in the Air Force, consists of nine fire stations that protect more than 50,000 Americans across the KMC, roughly the size of Rhode Island. Fire Chief Paul Giles oversees the 250-person flight that consists of approximately 125 American and 125 German firefighters that work side by side in the department responding to medical emergencies, structural firefighting, aircraft emergencies, hazardous materials and a myriad of rescues. As the busiest fire department in the Air Force, they responded to more than 1,820 emergencies in 2009 with no major fire loss to any facility. Much of this success can be credited to the Fire Prevention Team. "We have a great Fire Prevention Team that performs project reviews on facility renovations, inspections on existing structures, and pre-inspections for special events such as USO concerts and the Officers Spouses Club Bazaar," said Master Sgt. Christopher Shaw, Fire Prevention superintendant. Additionally, during the month of October, the Fire Department hosts Fire Prevention Month. The team performs presentations at all KMC schools and holds events at the KMCC where trucks are on display and information is provided on fire safety. Capt. Jennifer Davenport leads the 21 Airmen who make up the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight. "These professional Airmen are equipped to neutralize the hazards presented by conventional, chemical, biological and nuclear ordnance," according to Master Sgt. Mark Porter, EOD Flight superintendent. EOD provides home station support for three wings, 26 geographically separated units and two U.S. Army Brigades, making the EOD Flight one of the largest antiterrorism/force protection missions in U.S. European Command. EOD protects KMC personnel and their families from terrorist attacks by responding to suspicious devices throughout the area and from the occasional unexploded ordnance from WWII that is periodically unearthed during construction projects. They recently disposed of 80 sticks of unstable dynamite from the munitions storage area and ensured zero injuries to military and civilian members. As an AEF Enabler, the EOD Flight is heavily deployed with less than 1:1 dwell. If they've been home for four months, they better have their bags packed. With nine Bronze Star Medals and two Air Force Combat Action Medals to their credit, Ramstein EOD supports various missions to include operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, Presidential travel, range clearance and humanitarian operations. The readiness and emergency management flight, headed up by Capt. Andrew Burris, consists of 20 Airmen and one U.S. civilian. They are responsible for 86th CEG mobility forces including 138 unit type codes, 459 military personnel and 104 short tons of equipment. They also perform chemical biological, radiological and nuclear training, which totaled nearly 10,000 expeditionary members last year. EM members are also the primary Full Spectrum Threat Responders for all of France and Southern Germany. Additionally, "Our flight educates all base newcomers on preparation and response procedures during natural disasters and major incidents" states Senior Master Sgt. Francisco Robinson-Brown, flight superintendent. The flight also maintains and operates the 86th Airlift Wing Emergency Operations Center and Mobile Command Post assets. One of the key ingredients to the capabilities and response power of the 886th CES is the Mutual Aid partnerships between the KMC and the local community. The squadron has agreements with 10 communities in the counties of Kaiserslautern, Kirchheimbolanden and Kusel for joint responses to major events. Mutual aid exercises are held annually with the last exercise in June 2009 at the KMCC, which demonstrated the joint response capabilities across the German Red Cross (DRK), the Kaiserslautern Fire Department and the Ramstein First Responders. These exercises are extremely important to ensure successful command and control and appropriate resource availability during real-world events. Twice last year, our mutual aid training was put to the test. The Air Force provided fire suppression support to Rodenbach village when a tire warehouse caught fire and more recently a chlorine leak occurred outside Sembach Annex where the fire department responded with hazardous material support. The 886th CES Emergency Services Squadron works tirelessly to make sure the KMC and the surrounding area are safe to live, work and raise a family. They hope you will never need them, but feel better knowing they are ready to roll in the event you ever do. For all emergencies, dial 112 on-base or 06371-47-112 off-base.